Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Black Family

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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter - Character
Black Family
Gender Unapplicable
Hair color Unknown
Eye color Unknown
Related Family Unknown
Loyalty Death eaters/ Voldemort

Contents

[edit] Overview

The Black family were considered to be one of the noblest family in the wizarding world. They are very strict when it comes to blood status.

[edit] Role in the Books

Beginner warning: Details follow which you may not wish to read at your current level.

[edit] Philosopher's Stone

[edit] Chamber of Secrets

[edit] Prisoner of Azkaban

[edit] Goblet of Fire

[edit] Order of the Phoenix

At Christmas, Sirius Black shows Harry the Black family tree on a tapestry in the front parlor at Number 12, Grimmauld Place. The members of the family that he mentions are Phineas Nigellus, Aunt Elladora, Araminta Meliflua, Alphard Black, his uncle, his parents Walburga and Orion, his brother Regulus, his cousins Bellatrix, Andromeda (who has had her spot on the tree burned off because she dated to marry "the Muggle Ted Tonks") and Narcissa, and Narcissa's son Draco Malfoy. This family tree is huge, and the motto is Toujours Pur - "Always Pure". Those like Andromeda and Sirius himself who have dared to consort with Muggles or the Muggle-born have been burned off the family tree, and the tapestry itself is apparently fastened to the wall with a Permanent Sticking Charm.

[edit] Half-Blood Prince

[edit] Deathly Hallows

[edit] Strengths

[edit] Weaknesses

The Blacks seemed to have a surprisingly short life span for wizards. Most of the later generations were female and, with the death of Sirius near the end of Order of the Phoenix, the lineage came to an end.

[edit] Relationships with Other Characters

Family tree drawing:

Harry Potter Black Tree.jpg

[edit] Analysis

If nothing else, the Black family tree details just how inbred and intermarried the "pureblood" Wizards are – both of Sirius' parents are descended from Phineas Nigellus and his wife Ursula Flint. One point of interest is that Dorea (or Dorca) Black married Charlus Potter, and they had one son – could that be James Potter, Harry's father? James was born, we think, about 1959, when Dorca / Dorea would have been about 40, which is possible; though it is equally possible that Charlus is James' grandfather. Sirius did mention that he spent rather a lot of time over at James' parent's; it's possible that James' mother was his aunt or great-aunt.

It is curious that Harry did not see, or did not see fit to comment on, the presence of his own family name, when he saw the House of Black tapestry in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.

Other interesting names appear in this tapestry as well. Callidora, who was born in 1915 and is still alive, married Harfang Longbottom; what relationship are they to Neville Longbottom? Lucretia (1925 - 1992) married Ignatius Prewett; would that be one of Molly Weasley's brothers, along with Gideon and Fabian Prewett? Charis (1919 - 1973) married one Caspar Crouch: Bartemius Crouch Sr.'s brother, perhaps? And there is passing mention of Ron's uncle, Septimus Weasley, who apparently married Cedrella Black (burn-mark 4).

Burn-mark 7, Andromeda "who married Muggle Ted Tonks", is Nymphadora Tonks' mother; Ted Tonks, is not a Muggle, though he was Muggle-born. Tonks did mention that she was related to the Black family.

[edit] Questions

  1. Is Draco Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy's son, related to Harry Potter? If so, what is the relation?

[edit] Greater Picture

Intermediate warning: Details follow which you may not wish to read at your current level.